There Is Yet Another Evidence Point that Liam Coen is Jaguars' X-Factor

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- After one year on the job, it is clear more than just those inside Jacksonville have realized how valuable head coach Liam Coen is to the franchise. Even 13-year veterans are saying it.

"I'm gonna throw out a name that I thought — I think he's like the best play caller that I've seen over the last two years," long-time NFL defender Kyle Van Noy said on 'The Up and Adams Show.' "And that's Liam Coen. I know he doesn't get talked a lot about in Jacksonville because it's a smaller market."

"I think he's the best play caller that I've seen over the last two years... They were a nightmare [to play against]"

Kyle Van Noy has HIGH praise for Jaguars HC Liam Coen@KVN_03 | @Jaguars | @heykayadams pic.twitter.com/mXHqV18EtF
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) May 5, 2026

This, of course, is the latest in a long series of evidence that Coen is the Jaguars' biggest X-Factor. That is not to take away from franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence, all-time franchise sack leader Josh Hines-Allen, $100 million defensive end Travon Walker, or second-year star Travis Hunter. But Coen is perhaps the biggest reason the Jaguars went from a laughingstock to a contender within one season.

Coen's X-Factor

Van Noy, who has spent the last few seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, did not play against Coen and the Jaguars in 2025, But Van Noy clearly keeps his eye on the rest of the league, and the Ravens did face Coen and the Buccaneers in 2024. The Ravens won in a 41-31 shootout with the Buccaneers picking up over 500 yards of offense.

LIAM COEN — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks during a press conference at the Miller Electric Center, Monday, April 20, 2026 in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"I mean, they were a nightmare. Everyone was like, holy hell. They were a problem, and you get back to the sideline and you're like, 'We're gonna be in a dogfight, because these are crazy.' And they were just great concepts, great schemes. He was ahead of the curve when it comes to just being detailed," Van Noy said.

"I was really, really impressed with him down in Jacksonville. I think he's an awesome coordinator. I think he's only gonna be more and more successful as he gets comfortable in his head coaching role, as well as calling the plays. Like, he does a phenomenal job."

That is where Coen makes his mark, and largely is what helped make him the best candidate to lead the Jaguars into the future last offseason. Coen obviously is top-notch when it comes to setting the tone as a leader and a builder of the Jaguars' culture, which is arguably even more important than what he does as a play-caller.

But ultimately, it is his talent on the offensive side of the ball that week in and week out gives the Jaguars a true chance to win each game. Lawrence looked like a completely different player under Coen, playing the best football of his career over the second-half of the season. The expectation is that Lawrence will now carry that momentum into 2026 and take yet another leap.

In the same way Kyle Shanahan, Kyle McVay, Kevin O'Connell, Matt LaFleur, and all other elite play-calling head coaches give their team a chance to win, Coen does the same for the Jaguars. He gives them a true edge in terms of schematic and tactical facets of the game, something he has proven with back-to-back years of elite quarterback and offensive development.

Coen did it with Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers a year before he took the Jaguars job, making them one of the best offenses in the NFL and helping Mayfield find the most success of his career. The Buccaneers did not quite find the same offensive success without Coen in 2025, and there is a big reason the success followed him to Jacksonville.

The Jaguars' roster will change each season, even if the core pieces are set to remain in the years to come. But no matter who the Jaguars have on the depth chart, it is Coen who gives them the best chance to be successful. Several players had the best year of their career under Coen in 2025, and the expectation is for that to continue in 2026.

Coen and the Jaguars have to prove that they are not like the last two Jaguars teams that went to the playoffs, of course. After winning the AFC South in 2017 and 2022, the Jaguars failed to make the playoffs the following year in both occasions. Now, Coen will have to take it the next step and prove that he and the Jaguars are anything but a one-year wonder.

All signs point toward Coen doing that with ease, though. The rest of the NFL has taken notice, and it will not be long before we hear about more and more players looking at Coen as a reason to come to Jack

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